Author - Jerry Paxton

The Game Awards 2020 Nominees Announced

2020/11/18
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Industry News, News

The Game Awards, the video game industry’s biggest annual year-end celebration, today announced its 2020 nominees with The Last Of Us Part II, Hades and Ghost of Tsushima leading nominations. Highlighting the games from the past year that truly transformed entertainment, created camaraderie and community and pushed the envelope on innovation, this year’s diverse list of nominees includes 95 different games, individuals and teams spanning across a multitude of gaming genres and platforms. The nominees will be honored during the free digital livestreamed event on December 10, which will be available across more than 45 global video platforms.

In 2019, The Game Awards reached 50 million global viewers, including a peak live concurrent audience of more than 7.7 million fans. Taking a virtual format this year, The Game Awards will air live in 4K UHD from Hollywood, California, with special segments from other locations around the world, including London’s historic Abbey Road Studios. The host cities for The Game Awards will be digitally connected for an innovative celebration with live award presentations, musical performances, and spectacular world premiere game announcements.

This year’s Game of the Year nominees are Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo), DOOM Eternal (id Software/Bethesda), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix), Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch/SIE), Hades (Supergiant Games), and The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/SIE).

In the gender-neutral Best Performance category, a diverse group of actors will compete for the industry’s highest honor. The nominees include Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey (The Last of Us Part II), Daisuke Tsuji (Ghost of Tsushima), Logan Cunningham (Hades), and Nadji Jeter (MARVEL’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales),

This year Sony Interactive Entertainment is the most nominated publisher with 22 nominations across its portfolio of games. This is the second highest count for publisher nominations in The Game Awards history, following Nintendo’s record-setting 23 nominations for The Game Awards 2017.

The nominees for The Game Awards are selected by a global jury of more than 95 media publications and influencer outlets.

Following the nomination announcement, fans will be able to help choose the winners in all categories via authenticated online voting on www.thegameawards.com. In China, fans can vote for their favorites on Bilibili. Additionally, fans will exclusively determine the “Most Anticipated Game” category via The Game Awards’ Twitter DMs and share the vote to their timelines.

The Game Awards is executive produced by Geoff Keighley and Kimmie Kim. LeRoy Bennett returns as creative director for his sixth year, and Richard Preuss returns as director for his fourth year.

More exciting partners and ways to watch The Game Awards will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information and to stay up to date on the latest The Game Awards announcements, please visit: www.thegameawards.com

NOMINEES

Game of the Year

  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo)
  • DOOM Eternal (id Software/Bethesda)
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch/SIE)
  • Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/SIE)

Best Game Direction

  • Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch/SIE)
  • Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/SIE)

Best Narrative

  • 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (George Kamitani)
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake (Kazushige Nojima, Motomu Toriyama, Hiroki Iwaki, Sachie Hirano)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Ian Ryan, Liz Albl, Patrick Downs, Jordan Lemos)
  • Hades (Greg Kasavin)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross)

Best Art Direction

  • Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch/SIE)
  • Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios/Xbox Game Studios)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/SIE)

Best Score and Music

  • DOOM Eternal (Mick Gordon)
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake (Nobuo Uematsu, Masahi Hamauzu, Mitsuto Suzuki)
  • Hades (Darren Korb)
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Gareth Coker)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Gustavo Santaolala, Mac Quale)

Best Audio Design

  • DOOM Eternal (id Software/Bethesda)
  • Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch/SIE)
  • Resident Evil 3 (Capcom)
  • The Last of Us Part 2 (Naughty Dog/SIE)

Best Performance

  • Ashley Johnson as Ellie, The Last of Us Part II
  • Laura Bailey as Abby, The Last of Us Part II
  • Daisuke Tsuji as Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima
  • Logan Cunningham as Hades, Hades
  • Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Games for Impact

  • If Found… (DREAMFEEL/Annapurna Interactive)
  • Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer/Annapurna Interactive)
  • Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games)
  • Tell Me Why (Dontnod Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
  • Through the Darkest of Times (Paintbucket Games)

Best Ongoing

  • Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
  • Destiny 2 (Bungie)
  • Call of Duty Warzone (Infinity Ward/Activision)
  • Fortnite (Epic Games)
  • No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

Best Indie

  • Carrion (Phobia Game Studio)
  • Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic/Devolver)
  • Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • Spelunky 2 (Mossmouth)
  • Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games)

Best Mobile, Presented by LG WING, Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon

  • Among Us (InnerSloth)
  • Call of Duty Mobile (TiMi Studios/Activision)
  • Genshin Impact (miHoYo)
  • Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games)
  • Pokémon Café Mix (Genius Sonority)

Best Community Support

  • Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
  • Destiny 2 (Bungie)
  • Fall Guys (Mediatonic/Devolver)
  • Fortnite (Epic Games)
  • No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
  • Valorant (Riot Games)

Innovation in Accessibility

  • Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
  • Grounded (Obsidian/Xbox Game Studios)
  • HyperDot (Tribe Games)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/SIE)
  • Watch Dogs Legion (Ubisoft Toronto/Ubisoft)

Best VR/AR

  • Dreams (Media Molecule/SIE)
  • Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
  • MARVEL’s Iron Man VR (Camoflaj/SIE)
  • STAR WARS: Squadrons (Motive Studios/EA)
  • The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Skydance Interactive)

Best Action

  • DOOM Eternal (id Software/Bethesda)
  • Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
  • Nioh 2 (Team Ninja)
  • Streets of Rage 4 (DotEmu)

Best Action/Adventure

  • Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch/SIE)
  • MARVEL’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games/SIE)
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios/Xbox Game Studios)
  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Respawn/EA)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/SIE)

Best Role Playing

  • Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix)
  • Genshin Impact (miHoYo)
  • Persona 5 Royal (Atlus, P Studios)
  • Wasteland 3 (inXile Entertainment/Koch)
  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega)

Best Fighting

  • Granblue Fantasy: Versus (Arc System Works/Cygames)
  • Mortal Kombat 11/Ultimate (NetherRealm Studios/WB Games)
  • Street Fighter V: Champion Edition (Dimps/Capcom)
  • One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows (Spike Chunsoft/Bandai-Namco)
  • UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe: Late[cl-r] (French Bread/Arc System Works)

Best Family

  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo)
  • Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time (Toys for Bob/Activision)
  • Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic/Devolver)
  • Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Velan Studios/Nintendo)
  • Minecraft Dungeons (Mojang/Double Eleven/Xbox Game Studios)
  • Paper Mario: The Origami King (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)

Best Sim/Strategy

  • Crusader Kings III (Paradox Development Studio/Paradox)
  • Desperados III (Mimimi Games/THQN)
  • Gears Tactics (Splash Damage/The Coalition/Xbox Game Studios)
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo/Xbox Game Studios)
  • XCOM: Chimera Squad (Firaxis/2K)

Best Sports/Racing

  • Dirt 5 (Codemasters Cheshire/Codemasters)
  • F1 2020 (Codemasters Birmingham /Codemasters)
  • FIFA 21 (EA Vancouver/EA Sports)
  • NBA 2K21 (Visual Concepts/2K)
  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 (Vicarious Visions/Activision)

Best Multiplayer

  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo)
  • Among Us (InnerSloth)
  • Call of Duty: Warzone (Infinity Ward/Raven/Activision)
  • Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic/Devolver)
  • Valorant (Riot Games)

Best Debut Game

  • Carrion (Phobia Game Studio/Devolver)
  • Mortal Shell (Cold Symmetry/Playstack)
  • Raji: An Ancient Epic (Nodding Heads Games)
  • Röki (Polygon Treehouse/CI Games)
  • Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games)

Content Creator of the Year, Presented by Adobe

  • Alanah Pearce
  • NickMercs
  • TimtheTatman
  • Jay Ann Lopez
  • Valkyrae

Best Esports Game

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward/Raven/Activision)
  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
  • Fortnite (Epic Games)
  • League of Legends (Riot Games)
  • Valorant (Riot Games)

Best Esports Athlete

  • Ian “Crimsix” Porter / Call of Duty
  • Heo “Showmaker” Su / League of Legends
  • Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu / League of Legends
  • Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro / Call of Duty
  • Matthieu “ZywOo” Herbaut / CS:GO

Best Esports Team

  • DAMWON Gaming / League of Legends
  • Dallas Empire / Call of Duty
  • San Francisco Shock / Overwatch League
  • G2 Esports / League of Legends
  • Team Secret / DOTA2

Best Esports Event

  • BLAST Premier: Spring E2020 European Finals (CS:GO)
  • Call of Duty League Championship 2020
  • IEM Katowice 2020 (CS:GO)
  • League of Legends World Championship 2020
  • Overwatch League Grand Finals 2020

Best Esports Host

  • Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere
  • Alex “Machine” Richardson
  • Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez
  • James “Dash” Patterson
  • Jorien “Sheever” van der Heijden

Disney+ Unveils Holiday Content Lineup for 2020

2020/11/17
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Movie News, News, Trailers / Videos

‘Tis the season for streaming, and this year, Disney+ is decking the halls and spreading the cheer with a heartwarming collection of some of the most festive family viewing of all time. The “Happy Holidays Collection” has something for everyone from adored classics like “Home Alone” and “The Santa Clause” to highly anticipated Disney+ Originals like “LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special,” which premiered today, “Godmothered” premiering December 4, “High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special,” premiering December 11, and “On Pointe,” premiering on December 18. The collection also includes “The Simpsons” Christmas episodes from all 31 seasons streaming on Disney+ as well as seasonal episodes from “Boy Meets World,” “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” and nostalgic classics from some of Disney Channel’s most popular series.

While the weather outside is frightful, the movies premiering on Disney+ this season are delightful, bringing families together with heartwarming new films including “Black Beauty” on November 27, “Safety” on December 11, and “Soul” on December 25.

The complete collection includes:

Disney+ Originals

  • “LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special” – Now Streaming
  • “Once Upon a Snowman” – Now Streaming
  • “Noelle” – Now Streaming
  • “Godmothered” – Premieres December 4
  • “High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special” – Premieres December 11
  • “On Pointe” – Premieres December 18
  • “Arendelle Castle Yule Log” – Premieres December 18

Holiday Movies

  • “Big” – Coming December 4
  • “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” – Coming December 4
  • “Home Alone”
  • “Home Alone 2”
  • “Home Alone 3”
  • “The Santa Clause”
  • “The Santa Clause 2”
  • “The Santa Clause 3”
  • “Frozen”
  • “Frozen 2”
  • “The Muppet Christmas Carol”
  • “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas”
  • “A Christmas Carol” (2009)
  • “Mickey’s A Christmas Carol”
  • “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas”
  • “Santa Paws 2”
  • “Miracle on 34th Street”
  • “Winnie The Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year”
  • “Disney’s Fairytale Weddings Holiday Magic”
  • “Decorating Disney Holiday Magic”
  • “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas”
  • “Santa Buddies”
  • “The Ultimate Christmas Present”
  • “The Search for Santa Paws”
  • “One Magic Christmas”
  • “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
  • “Good Luck Charlie: It’s Christmas!”
  • “Babes in Toyland”
  • “‘Twas the Night”
  • “The Christmas Star”
  • “Full-Court Miracle”
  • “12 Dates of Christmas”
  • “Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish”
  • “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure”
  • “Pluto’s Christmas Tree”

“The Simpsons” Christmas Episodes

  • “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire” (S1E1)
  • “Marge Be Not Proud” (S7E11)
  • “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” (S9E10)
  • “Grift of the Magi” (S11E9)
  • “Skinner’s Sense of Snow” (S12E8)
  • “She of Little Faith” (S13E6)
  • “Tis The Fifteenth Season” (S15E7)
  • “Simpsons Christmas Stories” (S17E9)
  • “Kill Gil, Volumes I & II” (S18E9)
  • “The Burns and the Bees” (S20E9)
  • “The Fight Before Christmas” (S22E8)
  • “Holidays of Future Passed” (S23E9)
  • “White Christmas Blues” (S25E8)
  • “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas” (S26E9)
  • “The Nightmare After Krustmas” (S28E10)
  • “Tis the 30th Season” (S30E10)
  • “Bobby, It’s Cold Outside”  (S31E10)

“America’s Funniest Home Videos” Holiday Episodes

  • “The Jolly Old Fat Man, It’s Better to Receive, and Santa Claustrophobic” (S13 E10
  • “Santa Claus Versus the Easter Bunny, Not so Wise Men, and the Grinch who Gave Fake Lotto Tickets” (S14 E8)
  • “Deck the Halls, Soggy Skateboarder, and Christmas Chaos” (S15 E10)
  • “Not so Merry Christmas, Terror in Tinsel Town, and Bad Santa” (S16 E7)
  • “Christmas Critters, Everyone’s a Kid at Christmas, and Practical Jokes” (S17 E9)
  • “Old People Falling off of Boats versus Dogs Licking People in the Mouth” (S17 E10)
  • “AFV: Holly Jolly Follies” (S18 E9)
  • “Christmas 2008” (S19 E8)

Holiday TV Episodes

  • “That’s So Raven” – “Escape Clause” (S1 E19)
  • “Even Stevens” – “Heck of a Hanukkah” (S1 E15)
  • “Kim Possible” – “A Very Possible Christmas” (S2 E13)
  • “The Proud Family” – “Seven Days of Kwanzaa” (S1 E11)
  • “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” – “Christmas at the Tipton” (S1 E21)
  • “Girl Meets World” – “Girl Meets Home for the Holidays”  (S1 E16)
  • “Sonny with a Chance” – “A So Random Holiday Special” (S2 E22)

Fans can use #SeasonsStreamings and follow Disney+ on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for live Q&As, watch parties, and exclusive content to engage in the conversation throughout the fall.

Bee Simulator Launch Trailer

2020/11/17
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

One year after its official release, Bee Simulator praised by the families for its fun and educational aspects, is now coming to Steam.

Explore the world through the eyes of a bee with Bee Simulator! In this educational family game, you play as a pollinator bee in an urban park inspired by famous Central Park. Collect pollen, fight off wasps, interact with your fellow bees and confront multiple threats. Your entire hive is threatened the day when humans decide to chop down the tree you call home. The fate of the whole swarm is in your tiny hands!

Developed in close collaboration with beekeepers, Bee Simulator is a fun and educational experience that conveys an environmental message suitable for all ages. Freely explore and evolve in a vast realistic environment. Tips and information are shared throughout your adventures explaining the secret life of bees. With cooperative and competitive multiplayer game modes for up to four players, Bee Simulator brings the whole family together!

  • Learn while having fun – communication methods, hive and community life, protection techniques and threats that bees face
  • A realistic open world
  • Co-op and PvP multiplayer modes for up to four players

Change your perspective and discover the world through the eyes of a bee!

Bee Simulator is now available on PC via The Epic Games Store and Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch™

New Night City Wire Shows Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox Series X Gameplay

2020/11/17
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

In the special Night City Wire episode, the studio invites gamers to check out gameplay from CD PROJEKT RED’s upcoming title captured on both Xbox One X, as well as Xbox Series X via the console’s backwards compatibility feature. The scenes shown offer yet another glimpse into the world of the dark future players will be able to dive deep into when they begin their journey in Night City come December.

A PlayStation gameplay video is also planned for release, with a specific date set to be revealed in the near future via the game’s official channels.

Cyberpunk 2077 will release December 10th, 2020, for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Stadia. The game will also be playable on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles. At a later date, a free upgrade to Cyberpunk 2077, taking full advantage of next-gen hardware, will become available for owners of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions respectively.

For more information regarding the game, follow Facebook, Twitter, and visit cyberpunk.net.

The 2KFest 24-Hour Celebration is Coming

2020/11/17
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

2KFEST is a 24-hour worldwide celebration of basketball, music and culture that showcases the incredible game-play features and innovation of NBA 2K21.

NVE jumped in on the action to develop original content for and virtually produce this first-of-its-kind digital event. Join us as we experience the evolution of the game over the last decade, tour the 2K Motion Capture studio, go behind the scenes with the NBA 2K21 Development team, sit down with the biggest stars of the NBA, WNBA and 2K League, and much, much more. Whether you’re a gamer, NBA fan, or just a casual viewer, this jam-packed program is guaranteed to have something for you!

Musical Performances By:

  • Dame D.O.L.L.A.
  • Quavo
  • Saweetie
  • Aitch
  • 88Rising
  • J.I The Prince of New York
  • Hotboii
  • And more!

Interviews and Commentary by:

  • Damian Lillard
  • Zion Williamson
  • Candace Parker
  • Kevin Durant
  • Jayson Tatum
  • Anthony Davis
  • Ben Simmons
  • Shaquille O’Neal
  • Vince Carter
  • And more!

Tune in Friday, November 20th for 24-hours loaded with never-before-seen content, tipping off at 12AM PT, with the block of content specific to North America launching at 1PM PT. The event will be simulcast on Twitter, YouTube and Twitch with program captioning available in English, Spanish, French, and Traditional Chinese.

Star Wars Miniatures Titles Under New Command

2020/11/16
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News

In a strategic reorganization of its Star Wars miniatures titles, Asmodee is announcing today that oversight of its three Star Wars miniatures titles will be moving to their dedicated miniatures games studio, Atomic Mass Games.

Development of all future miniatures games will be handled by Atomic Mass as well. The move to a specialty studio positions Asmodee’s miniatures titles for even greater success in the future.

“Atomic Mass is committed to bringing people together through fun games, and Star Wars has been bringing people together through the power of myth and story for over 40 years,” Steve Horvath, Head of US Publishing, said.

“Combing their talent with the strength of our current Star Wars miniatures games and the limitless possibilities of a galaxy far, far away is going to lead to incredible new experiences for tabletop gamers and Star Wars fans to enjoy.”

Simone Elliott, who has shepherded Fantasy Flight’s relationship with Lucasfilm Licensing since 2015, will lead Atomic Mass Games during this time of expansion as Head of Studio. Will Shick assumes primary creative oversight as Head of Product Development. Joining them will be key members of the teams involved in the creation and evolution of Fantasy Flight’s current Star Wars miniatures games, Star Wars X-Wing, Star Wars Legion, and Star Wars Armada.

BFF or Die Console Trailer

2020/11/16
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Xbox One News

2Awesome Studio is proud to announce that BFF or Die is snuggling up on consoles in November, 2020. The crazy and cozy cooperative puzzle game that’s amassed over 23k downloads between popular game hosting sites Steam, Itch, and Game Jolt is launching on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch™ for $7.99!

BFF or Die is a co-op puzzle game that challenges up to 4 local players to use their cunning wit and camaraderie to survive as time-traveling space aliens. Never forget the academy motto: “BFF or Die!”

ABFF Or Die Launch Dates
– PlayStation®4 – Launch: November, 24th
– Xbox One – Pre-order: November 18th with 15% discount | Launch: November 25th
– Nintendo Switch™: Pre-order: November, 20th with 15% discount | Launch: November, 27th

BFF or Die is developed by ASA Studio, and is partnering with 2Awesome Studio as part of the 2Awesome Partners Initiative.

Previously, BFF or Die was featured in 2016’s Indie Showcase at Develop Conference and Intel’s Level-Up Competition at PAX West. In 2017, ASA Studio was one team awarded of hundreds of applicants to secure £25k from the UK Games Fund, and, in 2018, pitched BFF or Die to an industry panel, placing in top three games at the event, and receiving marketing support across the Steel Media Network.

“We’ve been developing BFF or Die for a long time. That dream marked the beginning of a road that led us… here! In collaboration with our new publishing friends over at 2Awesome Studio, BFF or Die is now available for you to play on console,” says Shaz from ASA Studio.

Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Gets Reopening Date

2020/11/12
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News

Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: CZR) (“Caesars” or “the Company”) today announced plans to resume operations at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, as its final property to reopen company-wide in the U.S. and Canada, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, the hotel will accommodate weekend stays, Thursday through Monday, while the gaming floor will be open seven days a week.

The resumption of business at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino follows the successful reopening of all Caesars regional casinos and hotels across the country, in addition to the Company’s other Las Vegas properties.

“As the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino prepares to resume operations on December 22, this marks the final Caesars Entertainment resort to reopen in the U.S. and Canada,” said Anthony Carano, President and Chief Operating Officer of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. “The past nine months have been filled with challenges, as well as opportunities including the merging of our two gaming companies to form the new Caesars Entertainment. We recognize the incredible effort it has taken to reopen our resorts and get us to this important milestone, and we look forward to welcoming our Team Members and Guests back to Rio with their health and safety still top of mind.”

The following amenities will open at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino:

Entertainment

  • Penn & Teller – Performance schedule to be announced at a later date. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.riolasvegas.com.

Restaurants

  • All-American Bar & Grille
  • Hash House A Go Go
  • Starbucks (near the hotel elevators)
  • VooDoo Steak
  • Sports Deli

Bars and Lounges

  • Shutters Bar
  • iBar
  • Purple Zebra Daiquiri Bar
  • Race & Sports Book Bar
  • Masquerade Bar

Gaming

  • William Hill Race & Sports Book
  • Keno Lounge
  • Slot Machines
  • Table Games

Fitness Center

  • Fitness Center

Retail

  • Rio Logo

Additionally, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino will debut the newly branded William Hill Sports Book on reopening day, with new customer offerings that include self-service sports betting kiosks and an expanded betting menu featuring LIVE InPlay Wagering.

Guests can save up to 20 percent on their next stay at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino with Caesars’ Fall Savings Sale from Nov. 2-23, for select travel dates through September 2021. This hotel offer is based on availability and cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer code: FALL20.

During the holiday season, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino will also accommodate hotel reservations seven days a week Dec. 23, 2020 through Jan. 3, 2021. Self-parking at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino will remain free for all guests, but the valet will remain closed at this time.

Caesars Entertainment has reopened all other Las Vegas properties including Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrah’s Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, Bally’s Las Vegas, The LINQ Hotel + Experience, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and The Cromwell, as well as The LINQ Promenade, High Roller Observation Wheel, FLY LINQ and Eiffel Tower Viewing Deck.

Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino has implemented Caesars’ new health and safety protocols, which enhance its existing plans and practices in these areas. All Caesars properties are focused on the well-being of team members, guests and the community, and continue to work to create an environment with high standards of sanitization and physical distancing practices. Among the enhanced health and safety protocols include more frequent cleaning and sanitization. Caesars has also implemented a health screening program for all employees. Team members and guests are required to wear masks, which the Company makes available, at all Caesars properties.

For more information on the Company’s health and safety protocols, visit: www.Caesars.com/health.

World of Darkness Announces Partner for Tabletop Role-Playing Games

2020/11/12
Jerry Paxton
Book News, Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos

World of Darkness, the transmedia entertainment brand behind celebrated fantasy horror properties including Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse, announced today that Renegade Game Studios is now the Publishing Partner for its catalogue of tabletop role playing games (TTRPG). World of Darkness also revealed it is bringing IP development of its story universes in-house and is kicking off this change with Vampire: The Masquerade Companion, a free digital supplement that brings new playable clans to Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition, that will be available this December.

“Renegade and World of Darkness worked closely together on Vampire: The Masquerade – Rivals and the team proved their passion for our brands and alignment with our values in that collaboration,” said Sean Greaney, Brand Manager for World of Darkness at Paradox Interactive. “Our joint goal is to ensure that there will be no disruption of service for fans looking to get their hands on Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition books.”

“We’re thrilled to work with the World of Darkness team and create exciting content for this rich universe of supernatural horror.” said Scott Gaeta, President and Publisher at Renegade Game Studios. “We look forward to supporting the existing community and welcoming in new players very soon.”

World of Darkness is taking over IP development of its story universes, including Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Led by World of Darkness Creative Lead Justin Achilli, they will create the foundational material – including core TTRPG books – for all stories set in a World of Darkness franchise, including video games, comics, and other forms of media. Renegade Game Studios, working with local partners globally, will broaden the offering with additional TTRPG products. Additionally, all World of Darkness books will continue to include sensitivity reviews as part of the development process.

“Bringing IP development in-house is one of the many reasons why the World of Darkness team hired me and I’m thrilled to take on this responsibility. I’ll be working with handpicked teams to set the lore, atmosphere, and tone that players have come to expect, and working with partners like Renegade to create compelling stories within that framework,” Achilli said. “Even though I’m leading this process, we’ll continue to work with teams of writers and freelancers. Our goal is to ensure that book development happens with teams that include a diversity of voices.”

While World of Darkness will take over IP development of its core TTRPG books, as publisher, Renegade Game Studios will handle publishing and marketing of these products. Everything that falls outside of the core story setting, as determined by World of Darkness, will be developed and published by Renegade Game Studios.

To learn more about how World of Darkness will develop content, its partnership with Renegade Game Studios, and what all of this means for the future of its TTRPG line up, head over to this blog post: https://www.worldofdarkness.com/news/vampire-the-masquerade-companion-releases-in-december

The Vampire: The Masquerade Companion book brings highly-anticipated Vampire clans from the community into tabletop play and gives Storytellers more tools to enhance their narratives. To download completely free of charge, fans will simply need to visit the World of Darkness website (https://worldofdarkness.com) and log in with a Paradox account.

Vampire: The Masquerade Companion Key Features:

  • Three vampire clans: Tzimisce, Ravnos, Salubri
  • Discipline powers representing each of the new clans
  • How to play rules for ghouls and mortals
  • Details on each clan’s view on vampire coteries
  • Additional Merits for players’ characters
  • Updates to Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition core rulebook

“World of Darkness fans have been asking us for more Vampire: The Masquerade content since we launched the 5th edition core book in 2018. Vampire: The Masquerade Companion is our answer, adding in some of their most-requested features like clan Tzimisce and rules for Mortals”, said Martyna Zych, Brand Community Developer for World of Darkness. “We are listening to our players, and now that we are developing IP in-house, we are equipped to respond to their feedback and produce content like the Companion. This is just one of many products we have in the pipeline, and while we can’t reveal anything else now, I will say that it is a great time to be a World of Darkness fan.”

World of Darkness will share more information about its lineup of announced products including, Second Inquisition, Vampire: The Masquerade Player’s Guide, Werewolf: The Apocalypse core book and more in the coming weeks. The first TTRPG book to release under this new process will be the Sabbat Sect Book. Stay tuned to www.worldofdarkness.com for updates.

Farming Simulator 19’s Alpine Farming Expansion Launch Trailer

2020/11/12
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

GIANTS Software and Focus Home Interactive are delighted to release the “Alpine Farming Expansion” for Farming Simulator 19. Available today on PC, Mac, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One, this latest expansion for the best-selling game takes players to a totally new mountain region with tons of farming activities and brand-new vehicles and equipment.

Take control of over 30 authentic agricultural vehicles and machines from leading brands like Aebi, Lindner, PÖTTINGER, SIP and more, including the series’ first-ever electric vehicle: the Rigitrac SKE 50. The idyllic mountain valleys of Erlengrat, the expansion’s new map, feature a wide range of lucrative new activities, such as alpine agriculture and breeding, as well as grass harvesting, the centerpiece of this new addition to the game.

The “Alpine Farming Expansion” is available as part of Farming Simulator 19: Premium Edition, now available on all platforms, which contains the full base game plus 10 bonus DLCs, including the popular “Platinum Expansion.” The physical version of the Premium Edition also contains a 72-page premium artbook!

The “Alpine Farming Expansion” is also available as a free download for Season Pass owners, as well as to purchase standalone.